title: A parsimonious, integrative model of key psychological correlates of UK university students' alcohol consumption.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the predictive utility of psychological correlates of alcohol consumption identified in previous (US-dominated) research for a UK student sample and construct an integrative model predictive of alcohol dependency in a sample of first-year undergraduate students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-report questionnaire completed by 230 students measured stable and modifiable correlates of alcohol dependence. Stable correlates included age when first regularly drinking (age of onset), personality traits and religiosity. Modifiable measures included drinking motives, self-efficacy, alcohol-related expectancies, prototype perceptions and normative beliefs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final multivariate model highlighted the importance of age of onset, sensation-seeking and a series of social cognitive measures including: social drinking motives, confidence in the ability to drink within government guidelines (self-efficacy) and the perceived quantity and frequency of alcohol consumed by university friends. Beta-coefficients indicated that self-efficacy and social drinking motives were particularly important predictors. A significant interaction was observed between age of onset and self-efficacy. Earlier onset was associated with higher levels of alcohol dependence for low and moderate, but not high levels of self-efficacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The model presented here could be used to identify students at risk of alcohol dependence and inform the design of campus-based interventions.
authors.affiliation: University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Atwell
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Duka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003469:Culture; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009042:Motivation; D010551:Personality; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult